Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02221~61 1997-11-19
WO 96/36913 PCT/US96/07Z15
PERSONAL COh~lJl~;~ HOUSING
sackqround of the Invention
The present lnvention is directed to a personal
computer housing which is configured to be used in
ergonomically progressive environments and to promote
the efficient use of space.
Personal computers are increasingly essential tools
in modern offices and homes. A typical computer system
will include an information entry device for use by the
operator to enter information into the system, an
information display device for transmitting information
to the operator from the system, input/output devices
for storage and retrieval of information and processing
of instructions or programs, in~ormation processing
equipment for manipulation of the information input into
the system, a chair to support the operator and a desk
to support the equipment and, at various times, the
operator.
Examples of typical information entry devices
include a keyboard, a mouse, a speaker to receive
information from the operator in voice form, a
digitizing tablet or pad for cooperation with a mouse or
puck which can be programmed to run a certain program
depending on the position of the mouse or puck when
different buttons are activated, and a system involving
the interaction of a pen with the screen on some types
of monitors. Examples of typical information display
devices include a cathode ray screen, a LCD display, a
printer and speakers producing sounds. Examples of
typical input/output devices include permanent hardware
devices such as a hard disk drive and temporary,
interchangeable devices such as a floppy disk drive,
tape cartridge drive or compact laser disk drive, these
temporary, interchangeable devices also exemplifying
input/output devices which are operator accessible
during normal operation. Examples of typical
information processing equipment include a central
processing unit or chip, a motherboard which houses the
central processing unit, additional processing hardware
CA 02221~61 1997-ll-lg
WO96/36913 PCT~S96/07215
and slots for installation of additional hardware boards
designed to operate with the system, a power supply with
exposed power switch, and exposed plugs for connection
of wires to interface with the other equipment such as
the keyboard, monitor, printer, etc., i.e., input/output
ports.
A multitude of chair configurations have been
considered for supporting the computer operator in
various postures. While conventional thinking
recommended an upright posture for the operator, studies
have shown that in fact a more reclined posture relieves
unnecessary stress on the body, and can provide a
healthier and more productive environment.
Similarly, the desks used with computer systems
were originally designed with a single, flat, and
typically rectangular work surface. More modern designs
are intended to overcome problems which result from the
introduction of computer systems into this traditional
environment. Such modern designs often include more
than one support surface, for example, one to hold the
monitor at an appropriate level for the operator and a
readily-accessible work surface for holding a keyboard.
The work surface can be tiltable and/or have an
adjustable height.
In early personal computers, all of the system
equipment often was housed in a single box for placement
on a traditional desktop in front of the operator. As
personal computers evolved, it became apparent that it
would be advantageous to separate the keyboard and
monitor from the box housing the central processing
unit, motherboard, disk drives and power supply. This
increased the flexibility of the personal computers by
permitting the use of different monitors and keyboards.
An additional advantage from this change was improved
ease of use for the operator, since the keyboard and
monitor could be placed in a position in accordance with
his or her personal preferences and needs without the
CA 02221~61 1997-11-19
WO 96/36913 PCT/US96107215
need to accommodate the box housing the processing
equipment. This improved the health and productivity of
computer operators and increased the value of the
personal computer as an office tool.
Computer housings typically include a ~rame which
is provided with holes for attachment of standard sized
components, including input/output devices (e.g., disk
drives, CDRom drives, etc.), motherboards with add-on
board and memory slots and CPU chips, and power
supplies. A removable shell is attached to the frame,
which protects the components while allowing access to
plugs, controls and input/output devices, and which may
provide necessary shielding from electromagnetic forces.
Personal computer housings are generally designed
in a parallelpiped shape, with the major faces of the
parallelpiped being oriented as the top and the bottom
o~ the housing. This design harkens to the original
personal computer configurations, under an apparent
assumption that many operators will desire to place the
monitor on top of the housing. Thus, the slots for
inserting disks into the interior of the disk drives,
etc., are located on a front edge face of the
parallelpiped so that the operator can insert the disks
into the system. The plugs for connection of
input/output devices are usually disposed at the rear
edge face. The power switch for the computer often is
also located at the rear of the parallelpiped with the
plugs, due to the fact that the power supply is usually
placed at the rear with a fan for removal of heat from
the system. Sometimes, the power switch is located at
the front of the box to improve the accessibility of the
switch for the operator. This design is problematic in
that studies have shown that health and productivity
factors suggests that the level of the monitor should be
lowered, contradicting the underlying premise of this
housing design. In addition, this housing design is not
,
CA 02221~61 1997-ll-lg
WO96/36913 PCT~S96/07215
well-suited for use with the more modern, ergonomically-
correct o~fice furniture coming into more common use.
Another design for the personal computer housing is
the so-called "tower" configuration. In this design,
the housing is placed on the floor next to the desk,
beneath the desk or in an upright position on the
desktop. The disk drives and power controls in this
design are located at one end of the forward face of the
parallelpiped in an "over and under" configuration. The
plugs are again found in the rear of the system. In
this design, the major faces of the parallelpiped are
the sides of the housing. This design occupies a
smaller amount of valuable work surface space in
comparison with the design discussed previously since it
can be placed on the floor. In addition, this design
does not require a raised level for the monitor.
However, this design is not readily accessed by the
operator from a relaxed and healthy posture. In
addition, this design is not well-suited for use with
ergonomically-correct furniture. In addition, the
personal computer can be subjected to undesirable abuse
due to its resting on the floor, for example, during
office cleaning operations.
Studies have suggested that the health and
productivity of office workers using personal computers
could be improved if the furniture is designed to
promote more of a reclined position, as opposed to the
upright position which has long-been advocated.
However, the more reclined posture is disadvantageous to
the extent that it requires a greater amount of floor
space. To minimize the adverse e~fects from this
increased requirement for floor space for the operator,
it would be desirable to reduce the space requirements
for the furniture and equipment, of course without
sacrificing productivity.
,
CA 02221~61 1997-11-19
WO 96/36913 PCT/US96/0721~i
Summary of the Invention
The present invention provides a personal computer
whose housing is designed to cooperate well with the new
generation of ergonomically correct furniture. The
housing of the present invention can be located off of
the floor, for example, secured on or underneath a
shelf. The housing can be located so as to not encumber
the foot and leg space of the operator or impede the
operator's movement, while still permitting easy access
to power controls, disk drives, etc., by the operator
from a suitable posture with m;n;m~l reaching or
stretching. The housing permits easy access to the
connecting plugs without the need for movement of the
computer or furniture. The housing design of the
present invention is readily used with current standard
hardware components, and could be used to reconfigure
equipment found in traditional housing designs. Thus,
the present invention will ease the adoption of new
computer work station designs and thereby improve the
health and productivity of those using computers.
The present invention provides a personal computer
whose housing is oriented in an upright position. The
housing is parallelpiped in nature, and the major faces
of the parallelpiped are the front and back. The
operator-accessible input/output devices (e.g., disk
drive and CDRom player) and/or controls are disposed on
the front of the major face of the housing, adjacent the
top of the housing. The input/output devices extend
from the front major face in the direction of the back
major face of the housing. Input/output ports and/or
the plug for the personal computer are disposed on one
of the side faces of the housing.
Since the disk drive, CDRom player and/or controls
are located on one of the major faces o~ the housing,
the housing is relatively shallow, and can easily be
secured on or under a narrow shelf. This reduces the
amount of space needed between the furniture and the
CA 02221~61 1997-11-19
WO96/36913 PCT~S96/07215
wall, and also prevents the computer from intruding into
the operator's leg and foot space. By placing the disk
drive, etc., near the top of the housing, it is possible
for these items to be located above the level of the
operator's work surface, permitting the operator to have
easy access to them, but without occupying valuable
space on the work surface. The location of the
input/output ports and/or plug of the side face of the
housing improves the access to those items without the
need for moving the computer housing or moving the
furniture on which it is located, and again reduces the
amount of space needed between the furniture and the
wall.
Brief Descri~tion of the Drawinqs
FIGURE l is a perspective view of the personal
computer housing according to the present invention.
FIGURE 2 is a perspective view showing details of a
system to permit the securing of the personal computer
of the present invention to a shelf.
FIGURE 3 is a perspective view showing a personal
computer of the present invention installed in an
opening in a shelf.
FIGURE 4 is a front view of computer work station
in which a personal computer of the present invention
has been installed.
Detailed Descri~tion
Referring to Figs. l and 2, the personal computer
housing lO of the present invention is in the shape of a
parallelpiped. The housing lO has opposed top and
bottom faces 12 and 14 respectively. Major faces 16 and
18 form the front and back of the housing, respectively.
Faces 20 and 22 form the sides of the housing. While
the two housings depicted are not identical, they share
similar features, and thus the same reference numerals
CA 02221~61 1997-11-19
WO 96136913 PCT,/US96/07Zl~i
and used to identify corresponding features in each
figure.
It is preferred that the two opposed major faces 16
and 18 be separated by a distance of no more than about
8.5 inches. That is, the ~width~ of the side faces 20
' and 22 is no more than about 8.5 inches (about 21 cm).
This is the current depth of a standard disk drive
component. As the size of standard disk drive
components is reduced, this dimension can be reduced.
In fact, it is contemplated that the dimensions of the
present housing will be modified as the standards for
various components are changed. However, it is
contemplated that the changes will follow the changes in
standards, not only in overall dimensions, but also,
e.g., locations for holes for attachments of drives,
motherboards, etc.
It is preferred that the top 12 and bottom 14 be
separated by a distance of at least 15 inches (about 37
cm). That is, the "height~ of the major faces 16 and 18
forming the front and back is at least 15 inches. It is
also preferred that the two opposed side faces 20 and 22
be separated by a distance of at least 15 inches (about
37 cm). That is the "width" of the major faces 16 and
18 is at least 15 inches. These dimensions provide an
interior volume similar to that of current personal
computer housings, and again, this permits the ready use
of standard components with the housing of the present
invention.
The operator-accessible input/output devices (e.g.,
disk drives, CDRom players, etc.) 24 for the personal
computer are located on the major face 16 forming the
front of the personal computer housing. These are
located adjacent the top of the housing, and more than
one row can be provided if necessary to accommodate the
disk drive and/or CDRom players. The disk drive and/or
CDRom player extends in a direction from front face 16
toward face 18. Similarly, the controls 26 for the
_
CA 02221~61 1997-11-19
WO 96/36913 PCI'/US96/07215
personal computer can be located on front face 16,
ad~acent the top. The controls can include, for
example, the power switch for the personal computer.
The housing can be provided with a hinged door 28
to permit access to the interior of the personal
computer, to allow replacement/repair of the
motherboard, installation/removal of add-on boards, etc.
This may be advantageously located on the front face 16.
The input/output ports for connecting the personal
computer with a monitor, keyboard, etc., are disposed on
one of the side faces. The plug for connecting the
personal computer to a power source can also be
positioned on the side face. This allows easy access to
these items without the necessity of moving the housing.
This convenient access also permits the better
management and/or concealment of the wires. It should
be recognized that all of the input/outputs need not be
located on the same side face. For some applications,
it might be more convenient to have some ports on one
side face and others on the other side face.
Fig. 2 illustrates an adaptation permitting the
housing to be secured to a shelf or desk. Angle bars 40
have a vertical leg 42 and horizontal leg 44. The side
face of the housing has holes which permit the vertical
leg 42 of the angle bar 40 to be secured to the housing,
for example with screws. The horizontal leg 44 permits
the computer to be mounted on a shelf, etc. The
horizontal leg 44 can be provided with openings such as
the illustrated key hole openings 46, which permit the
computer to be secured to a shelf, etc. For example, to
mount the computer on the underside of a shelf, the
angle bars will be attached at the tops of the side
faces of the computer housing, for example with screws
through aperture 43 in leg 42 into apertures 48 in the
housing. The computer can then be mounted on the
underside o~ a shelf by means of screws which pass
CA 02221~61 1997-11-19
W~ 9~J36913 PCTI[JS96/07215
through and engage keyhole openings 46. The keyhole
shape is particularly useful, since it permits the
computer to be readily removed and then remounted
without the need to remove the screws from the underside
of the shelf.
The computer can also extend through a shelf or
desktop, as seen in Fig. 3. In this case, the angle
bars 40 are attached to the side faces at a location
intermediate the top and bottom, preferably at about the
lowermost level of the input/output devices 24 (e.g.,
the location of the lower set of apertures 48 in Fig.
2). The computer can then be dropped through an opening
in a shelf or desktop, etc., to rest on the horizontal
legs 44. Attaching the horizontal legs to the shelf or
desktop by means o~ screws through apertures 46 can be
carried out if necessary. It can be seen that the
operator-accessible input/output devices and regularly-
accessed controls will be conveniently located above the
upper surface of the shelf or desktop, while the rest of
the computer will be "out of the way", below the shelf
or desktop.
Fig. 4 illustrates the use of the personal computer
of the present invention in connection with an
ergonomically-designed work station. The present
invention is particularly useful with a workstation
known as the POWER STATION, available from
Metamorphosis Design & Development, Inc. of Atlanta,
Georgia. The workstation 32 includes a tiltable work
surface 34 and a stand 36 which carries the work
surface. The stand is located opposite the position
which would be occupied by the operator and generally
surrounds the work surface. The stand could be provided
with a number of shelves for holding books, a lamp, a
telephone, etc. The monitor for the personal computer
will generally be located in middle section 38 on a
shelf. The keyboard will be located on the work surface
34.
CA 02221~61 1997-11-19
WO96136913 PCT~S96/07215
The personal computer lO of the present invention
can be secured on or underneath a shelf on stand 36, or
can extend through a shelf or desktop in a manner
similar to that shown in Fig. 3, as discussed above.
The arrangement of the disk drives, etc., at the top of
the front face of the housing allows the disk drives,
etc., to be disposed at a level which is above the level
of the work surface 34. The orientation of the housing
with the major faces being the front and back provides a
shallow configuration which permits the personal
computer to be located on a relatively narrow shelf,
without intruding into the foot and leg space of the
operator and without extending significantly beyond the
perimeter of the stand 36. This in turn permits the
stand to be placed closer to a wall, thereby reducing
the consumption of valuable floor space. This is also
facilitated by the location of the input/output ports
and plug on the side of the housing. This permits easy
access to these items without having to move the housing
or to move the furniture to gain access to the rear face
of the housing, where such features generally have been
mounted. It also should be noted that the stand 36
could be designed with channels or housings for wires
which would keep the wires out of the way of the
operator. In this regard, it is preferable to locate
the input/output ports and plugs so that in use they
will be disposed below the level of the work surface 34.
It should be noted that it might be possible to
separate the disk drives and power controls in a
separate housing from the rest of the personal computer,
which would permit the two to be placed in different
locations. However, this would require the use of t
relatively expensive shielded connecting wires to comply
with FCC and UL regulations.
Although a detailed description of the present
invention has been provided above, the present invention
is not limited to the specific embodiments described
CA 0222l56l l997-ll-l9
WO 96t36913 PCT/US96~1~72I5
herein, but rather is defined by the claim~ which will
follow.
